Norma Jackson was born December 1863 in Madison, Morgan County, Georgia, to newlyweds Jesse Wade Jackson and his wife, Julia Tunnell. Although Madison is near Atlanta, it escaped destruction during General Sherman’s March to the Sea in 1864 because it was home to a pro-Union congressman, Joshua Hill.
Surprisingly for a white Southerner, Norma’s father was a Republican. As a matter of fact, he became a personal friend of Ulysses S. Grant, who arranged an appointment in the U. S. Revenue Department for him in 1881. The Jacksons resided in Washington, D. C. until March 1887, when Jesse passed away. His body was returned for burial in the family plot at Buckhead, Georgia.
As her parents’ only child, the move to Washington had benefitted Norma. Raised in the genteel traditions of the Old South, she was expected to act as a gracious hostess at the tea parties and social events befitting her station in society. When she came down with consumption, she travelled to Los Angeles to visit an aunt. While there, she met Dr. Scott Helm and became engaged to him.
In February 1890, a Los Angeles newspaper reported, “Miss Norma Jackson, of Capitol Hill, the only child of the late Jesse W. Jackson, was married on the 12th instant, at Phoenix, the capital of Arizona, to Dr. Scott Helm, a native of Kentucky, a graduate of Princeton College and Rush Medical College, [and] of Heidelberg, Germany. Miss Norma is well-known in Washington, where her grace, beauty and accomplishments won her many admirers. She was on the Pacific Slope visiting her aunt, where she was wooed, won and wed by the fortunate doctor.”
As the wife of Dr. Helm, the foremost surgeon in the Arizona Territory, Norma entertained frequently and became known for her charm and hospitality. Her circle of acquaintances included her half-aunt, the much-married Mary Taylor Woolsey Sullivan Fry Baxter.
Norma’s health took a turn for the worse late in 1890. In February 1891, the Helms celebrated their first—and last--wedding anniversary with an excursion to the Hole in the Rock near Scottsdale, where the party was serenaded by a local singer known as “Monsieur Mumm”.
Despite Dr. Helm’s expert ministrations, Norma died on April
30, 1891, at the age of 28, and was buried in Porter Cemetery.
Dr. Helm did not remain a widower for long. In November, 1892, he married Miss Jane Beeler of Kentucky.
- by Donna L. Carr
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